Track Listing

1. Contrapunctus I
2. Contrapunctus II
3. Contrapunctus III
4. Contrapunctus IV
5. Contrapunctus V
6. Contrapunctus VI, a 4, in Stylo Francese
7. Contrapunctus VII, a 4, per Augmentationem et Diminutionem
8. Contrapunctus VIII, a 3
9. Contrapunctus IX, a 4, alla Duodecima
10. Contrapunctus X, a 4, alla Decima
11. Contrapunctus XI, a 4
12. Canon per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu (14a*)
13. Contrapunctus XII, a 4. Rectus
14. Contrapunctus XII, a 4. Inversus
15. Canon alla Ottava (15)
16. Canon alla Decima in Contrapuncto alla Terza (16)
17. Canon alla Duodecima in Contrapuncto alla Quinta (17)
18. Contrapunctus XIII, a3. Rectus
19. Contrapunctus XIII, a3. Inversus
20. Canon per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu (14)
21. Contrapunctus XIV (18) (Fragment of quadruple fugue)
22. Chorale: "Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit" ("Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein") BWV 668a (19)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7319 in Music
• Released on: 2003-08-12
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

IN A WORD: "SMOOTH"
If one word could sum up this performance it would be "smooth." I have come late to the recordings of the Emerson String Quartet. This has to be among this very worthwhile group's best.

The Art of the Fugue is, if not my favorite piece by Bach, then certainly high on the short-list. This is music fully realized--with an almost mystic greatness. Les Violins du Roy and the Delme Quartet (in Robert Simpson's arrangement) have both done great chamber versions of the work.

This recording by the Emerson Quartet is well at ease in such lofty company.

This recording lets the music speak for itself. It does so brilliantly. The crystal clear sound quality works hand in hand with the performance.

Everything here is evenhanded and well judged. This is pulled off without any loss of the music's passion, fire, or insight. I cannot recommend this version of Bach's last great work highly enough.

If you are considering getting a copy, do not hesitate.

the Art of Perfection
Bach's ultimate composition has so often been described as cerebral that it's inclined to put a casual listener off. Much as I admire Charles Rosen's piano recording, for example, I find it's not uncommon for the mind to wander off somewhere around the halfway mark. Perhaps it's the strings' ability to project a lyrical line, but I find the Emerson Quartet gripping from beginning to premature end, and after living with this CD for a while, the work makes more sense to me. The Art of Fugue is a monumental piece of art: like a great sculpture, it simply exists, and as a listener you may bring to it as much or as little as you like without affecting its integrity. Unlike, say, a Mahler symphony, it does not demand complete emotional commitment (except from the performers, which it definitely gets here)- and yet, when the music just stops mid-stream at the point where Bach supposedly died, the shock is greater than any number of Mahlerian hammer blows.
Beautifully recorded, sensitively played and, to descend to earth for a moment, I notice it's also discounted. Perfect.

Stunningly Sublime
It's hard to express in words the emotional connection this recording makes. The extraordinary playing by the Emerson on this CD makes these works by Bach come alive in a way like I've never heard before. This is a moving and poetic recording, and you'll swear you can hear oboes and trumpets coming from only four string instruments. What can I say, I was completely blown away by this truly sublime and perfect recording. Emerson Quartet is just amazing.